Labeling machine

ABSTRACT

Pressure-sensitized labels on a carrying tape are brought stepwise to a label-affixing zone through which filled containers are moved, such containers having curved or flat surfaces for receiving the labels, means being provided for stripping the labels from the tape and simultaneously directing the labels to the container surfaces, thereupon affixing such labels by pressure means to such surfaces and means being provided for activating the label supply means by action of the containers in moving through the label-affixing zone.

United States atent Cooper [451 Jan.18,l972

[54] LABELING MACHINE [72] Inventor: Mose Coleman Cooper, 1257 Gurr Avenue, Columbus, Ga. 31906 [22] Filed: Nov. 19, 11969 [21] Appl. No.: 877,899

[52] US. Cl ..156/542, 226/175, 226/191,

[51] Int. Cl. ..B65c 9/18, B65c 9/42 [58] Field ofSearch ..156/361, 540, 541,542; 226/191, 175

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 598,107 2/1898 Moody ..226/175 2,217,325 10/1940 VonHofe ..156/481 3,321,105 5/1967 Marano ..221/22 Primary Examiner-Samuel Feinberg Assistant Examiner-James M. l-lanley Att0rneyWi1kinson, Mawhinney & Theibault [57] ABSTRACT Pressure-sensitized labels on a carrying tape are brought stepwise to a label-affixing zone through which filled containers are moved, such containers having curved or flat surfaces for receiving the labels, means being provided for stripping the labels from the tape and simultaneously directing the labels to the container surfaces, thereupon affixing such labels by pressure means to such surfaces and means being provided for activating the label supply means by action of the containers in moving through the label-affixing zone.

5 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures PATENTEU JAM 8 m2 SHEET 1 BF 4 FIG.

FIG. 2

IN VENTOR MOSE COLEMAN COOPER iATENIEMmmmz $635,779

SHEET 2 0F 4 INVENTOR MOSE COLEMAN COOPER ATTORNEYS FATEPHEBJAHZBISYZ 3.635779 SHEET 3 BF 4 INVENTOR MOSE COLEMAN COOPER Pmrminmwe I 3,635,77

SHEET [1F 4 INVENTOR MOSE COLEMAN COOPER LZw MMIHM ATTORNEYS LABELING MACHINE The present invention relates to a Labeling Machine and has for an object to provide a machine for cooperating with containers on the conveyor of a filling machine whereby labels may be automatically applied to appropriate curved or flat surfaces of the containers by movement derived from the movement of the filler mechanism incident to passage of the containers through the label applying station.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel form label deflector for directing the freed labels to the surfaces of the containers and a novel form of applicator for pressing the pressure-sensitive labels against the container surfaces.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved drive means for the label-carrying tape which admits of adjustment to compensate for labels of different lengths and which is automatically operated by the passage of the containers through the label-applying zone.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention will be more fully described hereinafter, and will be more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

In the drawings, wherein like symbols refer to like or corresponding parts throughout the several views:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a Labeling Machine constructed in accordance with the present invention, shown in association with a milk-container-filling machine conveyor;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the applicator part of the machine;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view showing the tape driving means in full and dotted line positions;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the tape driving wheel with the segments partially radially projected;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the driving or indexing wheel showing the segments thereof contracted in full lines and expanded in dotted lines;

FIG. 6 is a bottom perspective view showing one of the segments detached from the wheel;

FIG 7 is also a fragmentary top perspective view of the segment illustrating the radial guide and the ratchet groove;

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view showing the indexing wheel base and segments with cooperating parts, and

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken on the line 9 9 in FIG. 8 when the parts are in assembled relation.

Referring more particularly to the drawings designates the rotary or otherwise movable filler conveyor of a milk or dairy filling machine on which containers of desired. capacities are moved in the direction of the arrows in FIGS. 1 and 3. For example the containers may be one or two gallon containers having square or upright walls 16 merging upwardly into diagonal rounded or flat shoulders 17 and terminating upwardly in central filling necks 18. These containers are placed in calculated spaced relation on the conveyor 15 and are utilized to trigger the delivery of the labels to the curved or flat diagonal shoulders 17, or other selected parts of other forms of containers.

The form of the container is not critical. The invention is applicable to any form of container with suitable adjustment. The jug-type of container is merely for illustration.

According to customary practice the labels 19 are pressuresensitized and are initially carried by a carrier tape 20 sound volutely in spool form 21 and mounted for rotation on a spindle 22 erected vertically on a table or platform 23 supported in any suitable manner at an elevation preferably substantially above the plane of the container conveyor 15 as best seen in FIG. 1 so as to bring the triggering mechanism for advancing the tape and labels to a convenient height for actuation by the necks 18 or other parts of other forms of containers.

In the form illustrated, this mechanism includes a bellcrank lever pivoted at 25 on a bracket 26 affixed to the table 23 and having an arm 27 yieldably projected into the path of the necks 18 or other parts of the containers by a coil or other spring 29, one end of which is affixed to the table at and the other end being attached to the arm 28. The spring 29 normally pulls the lever arm 28 against an adjustable stop on the bracket 26. To the am 28 is pivoted a pawl lever 31 having at its free end a pawl 32 positioned to slide freely about circular ratchet teeth on an indexing wheel 33 which is rotatably mounted about a journal post 65 mounted to the table 23 for which see FIG. 9.

As best seen in FIGS. 1 and 3, the stripped tape 20 after its return from the label applying zone is directed by a fixed guide 36 about the guide rollers 37 and 38 and thence to the indexing wheel 33.

In FIGS. 1 and 3 is illustrated a pressure roller 41 urged yieldably against the tape 20 to hold same tightly against the peripheryof the wheel 33 by a coil or other spring 42 acting through a bearing block 43 in which the roller 41 is joumaled to rotate. The bearing block 43 is pivoted at 44 to the table or support 23. The spring 42 reacts against an abutment block 46 affixed to the table; such arrangement assures that the tape will be gripped by the indexing wheel and compelled to move therewith in avoidance of any lost motion.

The peripheries of both the indexing wheel and pressure roller 41 are preferably knurled or otherwise treated to secure interrneshing through the tape to assure nonslip feeding of the tape to produce accurate concurrence of the labels and containers at the point of affixation of the labels to specified areas on the containers.

A stripping post on the table 23 is situated between the pressure roller 41 and the trash exit 39 and has a fin 101 disposed to pry the tape off the indexing wheel.

As the pawl lever 31 has a fixed throw and as labels 19 are of differential lengths some compensation must be made in the drive indexing wheel 33 so that the step-by-step movement thereof may be varied.

Accordingly, the peripheral surface of the wheel 33 where it contacts the tape must be of variable adjustable diameter. A form of indexing wheel constructed to accomplish this purpose is shown in FIGS. 4 to 9 inclusive.

In these FIGURES the hollow journal post 34 is affixed to a base disc 64, both rotatable about the solid journal post 65 erected on the table or platform 23. A cam adjusting ring 66 is rotatably fitted about the post 34 with a tight frictional fit so as to normally rotate with the indexing wheel but admitting of relative rotation with the journal post 34 as by the use of a spanner wrench engaged in the diametrically disposed sockets 67.

The segments 47 have ribs 69 projecting inwardly from inner arcs thereof in direct contact with the cam surfaces 68 whereby angular adjustment of the ring 66 will force the segments outwardly or permit the segments to move radially inwards thus enlarging or reducing the diameter of the indexing wheel to vary the rate of feed of the tape and labels. The arrangement is such, as seen in FIGS. 1 and 3, that the index wheel forms a bight in the tape so that pressure of the tape on the segments 47 will tend to constantly move the segments radially inward and the ribs 69 thereof to constantly engage the cam surfaces 68 of the adjusting ring 66.

As best seen in FIGS. 8 and 9, the segments 47 are guided in true radial movements for this adjustment by radially elongated guide blocks 70 which may be removably set in similarly radially elongated sockets 71 made through the upper face of the base plate or disc 64 but the bottoms of these sockets are closed as shown in FIG. 9 except for holes 72 to accommodate the shanks and finally the heads of attaching screws 73, the threaded shanks of which are long enough to extend above the blocks and to enter and engage the internal threads of sleeves 74 which extend up and into radial slots 75 of the segments, which slots are preferably in radial alignment with the ribs 69. The slots 75 have internal shoulders 76 depressed below the upper surfaces of the segments 47 to receive washers 77 having flat sides 78 held in place by screws 79 and heads of which may be accommodated in the washers 77. The screws 73 are threaded into the lower portions of the sleeves as seen in FIG. 9. The segments may, therefore, move and be guided in their adjusting radial settings by the blocks 70 below and the washers 77 above. Tightening of the screws 79 in the upper ends of the sleeves 74 will cause the washers 77 to bind down firmly on shoulders 76 and preserve the set adjustment.

As seen in FIGS. 4 to 7 inclusive, arcuate depressed raceways are formed in marginal outer areas of the segments 47 to accommodate the pawl 32 which may be in the form of a roller on a vertical axis to ride on the vertical walls 80 of the raceways in a substantially frictionless traverse. The bases 81 of the raceways re inclined upward against the direction of rotation terminating in dropoff shoulders or ratchet teeth 82 for engagement by the pawl 32 to draw the wheel in its intermittent circular motion.

In FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 is shown the conventional label-stripping bar 90 having a narrow rounded nose around which the tape reverses in direction after delivering the label to the zone of the container shoulder 17 to which the label is directed by a deflecting member onto the container shoulder 17 and thereafter pressured into contact with the shoulder. The labelstripping bar is disposed below a covering plate 91 of sheet metal or other suitable material the forward portion of which is extended and crimped downwardly so that its rear wall 92 is bent in a down-forward direction and its forward wall 93 continues upwardly to support a flat extension 94 to which the head 95 of a brush is secured with bristles pointing downward in position to wipe with pressure the recently delivered label against the container surface or shoulder 17. l find the numerous bristles of a brush to be especially effective in securing the pressure-sensitive labels to the rounded or other surfaces of the containers.

In operation, the filled containers on the filler conveyor encounter and trigger the arm 27 of the bellcrank lever which in sequence pulls the pawl member 31 forwardly through a prescribed distance and consequently rotates the indexing wheel through an angular distance predetermined by the setting of the segments 47.

Such action exerts a pull on the tape 20 causing same to unwind from the storage roll 21 in linear increments corresponding to label length and to deliver the labels to the applicator station where the separator bar 90 in well-known manner frees the labels which continue to travel forwardly and are deflected by the wall 92 onto the surfaces 17 of the containers followed by pressure of the bristles of the brush 95 by which the labels are pressed tightly against the surfaces 17 of the containers. The numerous bristles of the brush on bending apply pressure at numerous points to the labels and cause adherence of the pressure-sensitive labels to curved, flat or other facets of the containers.

The spent tape is rerouted to the member 36, the rollers 37 and 38, to and about the indexing wheel thence to the nip between the periphery of the indexing wheel and pressure roller 41.

On encountering the fin 101 and the stripping post 100 the carrier tape 20 is peeled off the indexing wheel 33 and directed to the trash exit 39.

Adjustments may be made from time to time in the diameter and circumference of the indexing wheel 33 by loosening the screws 79 which relieves pressure on the washers 77 and enables movement radially in or out of the segments 47 and rotation of the cam adjusting ring 66, after which the adjustment is made fast by retightening the screws 79.

What 1 claim is:

1. For use with the conveyor of a filling machine on which are moved containers to which labels are to be applied, a labelling machine comprising supply means for storing a supply of tape-carrying pressure-sensitive labels, a label application station, means at the station for stripping the labels from the tape and affixing the labels to the containers, and indexing wheel for receiving the stripped tape from the station and acting to move the label-carrying tape from the supply means to said station, and drive means for intennittently rotating the indexing wheel having a part in the path of movement of the containers on the conveyor, and a mechanical linkage connecting said part directly to said indexing wheel whereby container movement drives said part out of the container path and actuates the drive means to move theindexing wheel.

2. A labeling machine as claimed in claim 1 in which said mdexing wheel comprises a base disc, segmental members movably associated with the disc, and means for adjusting the segmental members to vary the diameter of the indexing wheel to compensate for labels of varying lengths.

3. A labeling machine as claimed in claim 1 in which said drive means comprises a lever having an ann projecting into the path of the containers to be moved thereby, means for yieldably biasing said lever to an initial position in which the arm is in the path of the containers, and a ratchet and pawl mechanism connected between said lever and indexing wheel for advancing the latter and the tape through a prescribed angular distance corresponding to the throw of the pawl as driven by the lever incident to the passage of a container.

4. A labeling machine as claimed in claim 3 in which said indexing wheel has the ratchet teeth and the pawl is connected to and driven by the lever in constant throw actuation and said indexing wheel comprises segmental members contacting the tape, and means for adjusting the segmental members radially of the wheel to increase and decrease circumference of the wheel whereby to increase and decrease indexing movements of the wheel as affecting linear movements of the tape without affecting the constant length throw of the pawl.

5. A labeling machine as claimed in claim 1 in which said indexing wheel comprises a base having radially oriented depressed portions, fixed guide blocks removably fitted to said depressed portions and having threaded openings therethrough, segmental members having slots for fitting about and radially sliding on said guide blocks and having depressed shouldered portions at upper portions of the slots, washers removably fitted in the upper portions of the slots and against the shouldered portions, threaded sleeves in said radial slots between the guide block and washers, and screw fasteners independently threaded from the bottom of the base through the base and guide blocks into the lower ends of the sleeves and downwardly through the washers into the upper ends of the sleeves for binding the guide blocks in place and binding the washers to the shouldered portions for retaining the segmental members in adjusted positions. 

1. For use with the conveyor of a filling machine on which are moved containers to which labels are to be applied, a labelling machine comprising supply means for storing a supply of tapecarrying pressure-sensitive labels, a label application station, means at the station for stripping the labels from the tape and affixing the labels to the containers, and indexing wheel for receiving the stripped tape from the station and acting to move the label-carrying tape from the supply means to said station, and drive means for intermittently rotating the indexing wheel having a part in the path of movement of the containers on the conveyor, and a mechanical linkage connecting said part directly to said indexing wheel whereby container movement drives said part out of the container path and actuates the drive means to move the indexing wheel.
 2. A labeling machine as claimed in claim 1 in which said indexing wheel comprises a base disc, segmental members movably associated with the disc, and means for adjusting the segmental members to vary the diameter of the indexing wheel to compensate for labels of varying lengths.
 3. A labeling machine as claimed in claim 1 in which said drive means comprises a lever having an arm projecting into the path of the containers to be moved thereby, means for yieldably biasing said lever to an initial position in which the arm is in the path of the containers, and a ratchet and pawl mechanism connected between said lever and indexing wheel for advancing the latter and the tape through a prescribed angular distance corresponding to the throw of the pawl as driven by the lever incident to the passage of a container.
 4. A labeling machine as claimed in claim 3 in which said indexing wheel has the ratchet teeth and the pawl is connected to and driven by the lever in constant throw actuation and said indexing wheel comprises segmental members contacting the tape, and means for adjusting the segmental members radially of the wheel to increase and decrease circumference of the wheel whereby to increase and decrease indexing movements of the wheel as affecting linear movements of the tape without affecting the constant length throw of the pawl.
 5. A labeling machine as claimed in claim 1 in which said indexing wheel comprises a base having radially oriented depressed portions, fixed guide blocks removably fitted to said depressed portions and having threaded openings therethrough, segmental members having slots for fitting about and radially sliding on said guide blocks and having depressed shouldered portions at upper portions of the slots, washers removably fitted in the upper portions of the slots and against the shouldered portions, threaded sleeves in said radial slots between the guide block and washers, and screw fasteners independently threaded from the bottom of the base through the base and guide blocks into the lower ends of the sleeves and downwardly through the washers into the upper ends of the sleeves for binding the guide blocks in place and binding the washers to the shouldered portions for retaining the segmental members in adjusted positions. 